Review: 'City in the Desert: The Monster Problem' by Moro Rogers

And from the mingled blood of man and the evil one, Iriaze raised a horde of monsters...

And from that time on, the world was full of monsters.

Monster hunter Irro and his assistant Hari have a pretty good life, all things considered; they get to hunt monsters. But they may be the only people in the city of Kevala who are making a decent living.  When a religious sect promising relief from the burden of worry comes to Kevala everything changes. Everyone is smiling and relaxed, but Irro knows there is something sinister afoot and he and Hari are determined to uncover the truth.

Graphic Novel newcomer Moro Rogers has crafted an intriguing story that draws readers into a strangely familiar world peopled with monsters and monster hunters. Irro comes from a long line of monster hunters but has come upon harder times as monster attacks increase and hunters are eliminated. The increase of attacks has isolated Irro's home base of Kevala; they have not had a caravan travel by in almost a year. The isolation is beautifully depicted by Rogers' sepia toned art.

One of The Monster Problem's biggest strengths is the relationship between Irro and Hari. Hari is something other than human - she has a tail and claws, but Irro treats her as a person. Rogers has done a wonderful job of crafting the relationship between these two characters using language as well as image. The humor of their dialogue gives readers a depth of character often lacking in graphic novel text. This playful tone is carried over into the art itself: a bored Irro walks through a character's speech balloon, preventing the reader for seeing all the text and visually illustrating Irro's lack of attention. Hari's facial expressions are spot on with her comments; rue, humor and confusion are beautifully depicted.

But not all is action and humor in the city of Kevala. There are some darker elements at work here: a spreading confusion among residents and lack of response to physical threats that allow the reader to become aware of the threat posed by the Way of Sacred Peace well before Irro and Hari. Hopefully, further development of these threats is something that readers can look forward to in City in the Desert's next installment.

This is a fun, well-crafted and beautifully illustrated graphic novel that I'll be encouraging my teens to try.

Reviewer: Rebecca

Book Source: Local Library

Recommended Ages: 15+

Recommended for Readers of:

8 Oldies But Goodies: Graphic Novels & Manga for Modern Teens

There are few things in this world as frustrating as waiting for the next volume of a current comic or manga to release.  It's like being cut off from finishing a book in the middle of a chapter and often requires a wait of a month or more.  Teens love graphic novels (for obvious reasons) but often have a hard time waiting patiently for the next volume to make it onto library shelves.

Since there's not much more annoying than a whiny teenager, I've created a list of older ("classic") graphic novels that are completely finished (or have at least 10 volumes) to keep your teens happy while they wait.  Enjoy!

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	Title: The Arrival Series: n/a Author: Shaun Tan Volumes: 1 Status: Completed Where to Get It: Available at many book and comic retailers Recommended Ages: All Synopsis:  This graphic novel reads like a silent film following the experiences of a traveler who arrives and makes his way in a new, unfamiliar place.  *One of the most poignant and beautiful graphic novels I've read.
	Title: The Grand Quest a.k.a. Fire & Flight Series: ElfQuest Authors: Wendy & Richard Pini Volumes: 18+ Status: Completed (The Final Quest is ongoing as a web comic) Where to Get It: Out of print, but can view series  for free here. Recommended Ages: 16+ for sensuality, adult situations & some nudity Synopsis: After betrayal leaves the Wolfriders stranded in a foreign land, Cutter must ensure the survival of his tribe while they search for a new home.  But this journey leads to an adventure the elves could never have imagined.
	Title: Legends in Exile Series: Fables Author: Bill Willingham Volumes: 18+ Status: Ongoing Where to Get It: Published through Vertigo (an imprint of DC Comics). Available at many book and comic retailers. Recommended Ages: 16+ for sensuality, adult situations & some nudity Synopsis: Characters from folklore have been driven from their homeland and are settled in the community of Fabletown in the busy metropolis of New York City.  Willingham has re-imagined familiar characters and created a multi-layered, dynamic series with a truly epic scope.
	Title: Hikaru no Go, Volume 1 Series: Hikaru no Go Author: Yumi Hotta Volumes: 23 Status: Completed Where to Get It: Can be found in many book and comic retailers. Recommended Ages: 10+ mild language Synopsis: Middle school student Hikaru discovers an ancient Go board in his grandfather's attic, only to find that it is haunted by the spirit of a long-dead Go Master. Now the ghost won't leave Hikaru alone until he learns to play Go!
	Title: Hana Kimi, Volume 1 (a.k.a Hanazakari no Kimitachi e) Series: Hana Kimi Author: Hisaya Nakajo Volumes: 23 Status: Completed Where to Get It: Published in the US by Viz Media. New 3-in-1 editions available. Recommended Ages: 15+ gender-bending, romance, mild sensuality Synopsis: Mizuki Ashiya has such a crush on Japanese track star Izumi Sano that she decides to move to Japan, disguise herself as a boy, and enroll in Sano's all-boys boarding school.  Much gender confusion and hilarity ensues.
	Title: Mars, Volume 1 Series: Mars Author: Fuyumi Soryo Volumes: 15 Status: Completed Where to Get It: Out of Print. Can be found online at sites such as MangaReader or individual sellers on Amazon. Recommended Ages: 16+ sexual abuse, rape, romance, adult situations Synopsis: Bad boy Rey and gentle, artistic Kira are worlds apart in personalities, but may just be perfect for each other. When Rey rescues Kira from the hands of her sleazy art teacher, Kira finds the courage to ask Rey to model for her. However, as their relationship blooms, the jealousy of an upperclassman and dark secrets from Kira's past come back to haunt them.
	Title: Mr. Stuffins Series: n/a Authors: Andrew Cosby & Johanna Stokes Volumes: 1 Status: Completed Where to Get It: Multiple book and comic retailers Recommended Ages: 12+ mild language, spy action, violence Synopsis: An A.I. spy personality ends up loaded into a Teddy-Ruxpin-like stuffed animal who, when powered up, believes he has a mission to complete that is critical to national security. *Make sure to read the tweets at the end!
	Title: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 1 Series: Sailor Moon Authors: Naoko Takeuchi Volumes: 12 (as of this post 8 volumes available) Status: Ongoing Where to Get It: Kodansha Comics is re-releasing the Sailor Moon manga as a 12-volume set in celebration of Sailor Moon's 20th anniversary. Recommended Ages: 12+ Synopsis: Usagi Tsugino and her friends may seem like your average high school students, but they each have a secret identity as supernatural protectors of Earth!

Review: 'Enchanted' by Alethea Kontis

Monday's child is fair of face,

Tuesday's child is full of grace,

Wednesday's child is full of woe,

Thursday's child has far to go.

Friday's child is loving and giving,

Saturday's child works hard for a living,

But the child born on the Sabbath Day,

Is blithe and bonny and good and gay.

Sunday is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter and, in a land where magic abounds, this can mean many things.  But Sunday has lived all her life in the shadow of her older sisters experiencing none of their adventures except vicariously through the stories.  Sunday loves stories, hearing them, collecting them, creating her own and writing them down in her magical never-ending journal.  But Sunday never tells stories, over time she has discovered that her tales have an unfortunate habit of coming true, so she contents herself with her journal and her dreams.  Until one day she befriends an enchanted frog in the Wood and unknowingly sets her own story in motion.

Alethea Kontis has woven an intricate tapestry of folklore, fairytale and myth into a beautiful, cohesive whole that will truly enchant readers.  Sunday is engaging and intelligent with an amusing habit of speaking frankly while Rumbold, the Prince, has a depth of character not often afforded to the hero of a fairytale.  Every character in Kontis's world has a unique quirk that impacts the story, but creates quite a cast for readers to track.  The world itself is reminiscent of Bill Willingham's Fables, familiar but individual to Kontis's world.  The plot itself is somewhat convoluted, especially for a novel of it's size, but all the threads do come together nicely in the end leaving readers hopeful for more adventures in this magical universe.

Book Source: Local Library
Reviewer: Rebecca

Recommended Ages: 12+

Recommended for Readers of:

Pinocchio...Vampire Slayer?

Everyone knows the story of the Pinocchio the wooden puppet that wanted to be a “real boy”.  But Disney never got his hands on this part of the tale.  Vampires roam Italy haunting small villages and causing strings of “mysterious disappearances”.  Geppetto has been murdered by these vampires leaving Pinocchio to protect the disbelieving villagers.  The wooden boy is aided by Master Cherry, an aged (and somewhat arthritic) Blue Fairy and the ghost of a well-intentioned but very annoying cricket Pinocchio stomped upon long ago. 

Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer uses limited color to convey the dark nature of the story as well as highlight action, bad guys and important plot points.  The overall effect is of a dark, monochromatic Italy shot through with bursts of violence. Though the general tone of the novel is rather Grimm, there are certain moments of hilarity throughout this graphic novel such as when Pinocchio tells outrageous lies to make his nose grow only to break of the end of his nose, employing it as a stake to kill vampires.  (At which point I burst out laughing while reading.)
Pinocchio returns to his roots in this much darker and more interesting than is typically recounted fairy-tale revamp. Readers be prepared for action, humor, vampire slaying galore and an unexpected twist that will leave you shocked and desperately awaiting the second installation.

THIS AUTHOR WILL BE AT TEENBOOKCON 2012!  Check out http://www.teenbookcon.org/ for details.

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